Greetings in the Lord sisters!
How are you today? I hope and pray well and strong in the Lord.
(Today I have a post I had been working on awhile ago but decided to get to finishing it today. So forgive me if it's not very coherent or logical and it rambles on or repeats itself.)
Praise the Lord for sending His Son into the world and making a way for us to the Father! What a blessing it is to know and obey the gospel of Christ! I also encourage others to test their own faith and life to the biblical gospel which you can find explained here as so many are deceived in these days and many false gospels and false Christs abound. Let's not be deceived ourselves.
And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.
Luke 21:8
So for those sisters who have been set free in Christ through the truth, I hope and pray my blog can encourage and edify you on in the true faith! And perhaps there may be someone else who is seeking more truth as I once was and they can be helped by something I write about here on my blog. It is a blessing to have this opportunity to share truth here on the internet which has the potential to be seen around the world. Jesus told us to let our light shine! The Father will be glorified through it!
We also know the internet is a mostly dark wicked place but praise God whenever God's people can use it for good and for His glory! But we sisters need to be careful too of course and cling hard to God's Word because the deception is great out there indeed!
But we have been warned about that all over His Word and particularly for these end times!
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
2 Thessalonians 2:3
And we do know that woman was first deceived in the garden so we need to be so careful.
For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.
1 Timothy 2:13-14
And we know also...
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
1 Peter 5:8
Satan is certainly out seeking whom he may devour, either in subtle ways as an angel of light, or as a roaring lion. He's out to snatch precious souls into his grip and away from God. So how can we women who are seeking God and His truth not be extra careful to not be deceived and to test all things!
We know our God is greater and more powerful than our enemy. We also know this is a spiritual battle we are in. The Lord has given us spiritual armour (Ephesians 6) to put on so we must be diligent lest we be deceived or fall into sin.
So today I'm going to share a little more of my own life in order to perhaps encourage some of you and give God glory for His truth and how His ways are so much higher and holier than most people who call themselves by His name today are living. There's so very much deception around. The way is indeed narrow and few there be that are finding it. Yes people and statistics will say that Christianity is one of the biggest religions in the world but it's not the true faith and way that Jesus taught as it is being practiced mostly today.
We all must begin with the biblical gospel and that is not an once off thing we consider but our everyday life in Christ our Saviour. If we cling to Him and endure in the gospel, one day we shall be with Him. You can see the gospel explained more clearly here. I hope that explains your situation and standing in the Lord.
Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:1-2
I don't share much about my own personal life past and I guess that is for several reasons and that is that it is to be about Christ, and we don't want to be the focus nor our past errors and sins. I want to be careful with my words and what I share about others too. But I know there may be some others out there who grew up like I did in what would be known as a relatively conservative 'Christian' family. So maybe this will encourage you in some way. Either way it is more of the glory of God and that He can use anyone and transform anyone. He changed brother Paul's life, a zealous religious man, and he changed Timothy who had grown up in a family of faith too. There are accounts of women in Jesus' life that He delivered from evil spirits. And we know all can come to Him if they are willing. Praise God He made the way of salvation for those who obey Him! Let us do that!
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Matthew 16:24
So I was going to share a little on how I grew up. From birth to about three years old, I was raised Lutheran and 'baptized' as an infant there. Then from then till about age eight, it was a Baptist church and a small home fellowship until 2001 and from then till 2020 it was listening to sermons every Sunday just with my family. And by family, I mean my parents, five brothers and two sisters. And I was baptised as an adult.
We were home schooled from the beginning and the Word was all around me growing up and then when I began to read it daily for myself.
In regard to clothing, most of my life I had been wearing a semblance of 'modest' dress with long skirts and no jewellery or makeup etc. But as I read scriptures and I'm sure with the Spirit convicting I knew there was a command to head cover. I resisted for awhile and was confused by all the false teaching and practices on it. But praise God I could overcome that and obey the command for women to cover their heads and hair. And I had to get rid of a lot of clothing that was either adorned or too tight etc.
This thought just came to me about the verse that says to rebuke those in sin before all. I had been following some saints blogs for some months (you can see their ministry on the gospel link above), and being biblical, they obey that verse and I guess I learned from that to fear too (because I was in sin myself). I didn't think of that at the time but just now. God's word is good and true and when it is followed His ways are so much higher than ours!
Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear.
1 Timothy 5:20
When sin in others is rebuked as it says it is to be, it helps more than the one in sin. We see how sin is not to be taken lightly at all.
And I'll add here that I do owe very much to this faithful brother and sister in the Lord who strived to live a holy and obedient life. I saw what they were living and teaching was so different to what I was thinking was Christianity. But I truly was seeking deeper truth and the Lord in His providence and sovereignty had me learn much from these saints. And it likely was to the saving of my soul from death. God knows because He knows the beginning from the end. Either way the Lord led and guided me to truth and I was willing to follow and obey and give up much for Him! Don't underestimate your witness sisters! Others are likely watching you! Be ready to give an answer and share the life saving good news of Jesus Christ!
So moving on...
Even though I grew up in a family that said to oppose worldliness, as I went further down the path of God's truth you then see way more things. Obviously the Spirit guides us in the Word and also works along with our God-given conscience.
So being a relatively conservative family I already was kept away from much evil from the world (TV, movies etc). But I know now there was way more to go to seperate from.
And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:
He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
Luke 6:46-48
We must be grounded in the Word sisters! Founded upon the Rock and doers of our Lord's commands.
There was a time that music making consumed my family's life for a long while (like eight years or so pretty full on). So not having any real biblical foundation, I was swept up in it too. I never really wanted to do it and for the most part hated it but I had no biblical answer to say no. So here we see that although my family opposed much wordliness this as I now see is very worldly, empty and vain. It wasn't even 'Christian' music (not that playing and listening to music is biblical...as we are to sing with our heart and lips in the NT).
I don't necessarily like to talk about all this too much but perhaps it will help encourage you sisters who may have gone through similar things or need encouragement in it. So anyway my siblings and I rose in skill and 'fame' in this and even became leaders and teachers in it, but now I think...what a waste of time and effort and money! And it is part of what God hates...the world, and its satan's world after all.
And it is to me now as apostle Paul wrote of his own past...
But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
Philippians 3:7-8
Loss and dung. And yep my things which remained from it went into the garbage bin. Glory to God (and not to man as much of these worldly prideful fleshly ways are.)!
So praise God I can leave all that behind (most gladly now!!!!!) and live and labour for Christ in that which is not empty and vain but eternal! How much better to lay up treasures in heaven, sisters!
I must add that now I am extremely grateful that the Lord allowed upon me physical weaknesses to put an end to my music career (before I saw it was sinful). Praise God!!!!!! I'm glad He did because it was then so much easier to leave it all behind.
Enough on that subject...but even in a so called Christian family there was much to be rejected for Christ! And it's shameful to do such things while claiming to be Christian but I know much better now and praise God for the work of the Spirit in my heart! And for His forgiveness!!
So I shared about my clothing and my music career that had to go for Christ...now I need to share about some doctrine or religious practices that I had wrong from my upbringing. As I learned, I saw christmass and easter were wrong and not taught for us to practice...so I had to stop practicing them. Things like people practicing Sunday as the Lord's day too I had to reject. And also God's commands to not gather and have Christian fellowship with people who are living in sin and will not repent. And that could mean you have to go on alone but praise God there are a few who seek to be obedient in all areas and live holy lives set apart from the world unto Christ. Praise God for the love of the true brethren who love God above all else.
And to be honest, much of the Bible didn't make sense with what was going on in the type of Christianity I was raised in. So once I saw these things and saw that what is called evangelicalism with all it's denominations and added or false ways is not God's way nor His true people, it all began to make sense that satan had created a huge counterfeit that people think is real unless they seek deeper and are led of the Spirit. His people have to repent and leave all of that behind and worship God in spirit and truth. And now the Bible makes so much more sense when I see what it actually says and not through all the lies and man made religion around.
And this has all been happening to me in the last year or two so it's been amazing but with it's trials and learning so much and sorting it all out. And now I press on to the hope set before me if I endure!
I know each of you would have your own accounts of how the Lord delivered you from the bondage of sin and false ways to be set free and given sight to see! I'm grateful that we can know the truth in Christ who sets us free!
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
Luke 4:18
We are not worthy! But we strive to walk worthy now having been given a new heart by the Spirit to serve such a worthy glorious and mighty Saviour!
There's so much more I could talk about I'm sure but praise God for the hope we can get of seeking all truth and that is available to all. And now we have such a hope to share with others, and as godly women we are to be ready and able to answer those who ask us of the hope we have...with meekness and fear.
I must leave it there but maybe that has blessed you in some way...either way glory to our great God! What an awesome Father He is who sent His Son to redeem us a peculiar people unto Himself. Let us strive to walk worthy and be blameless.
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
1 Peter 2:9
Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing ; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
2 Corinthians 6:17-18
Stand strong sisters! Strive on! Hold fast! Look forward! Set your minds on things above! Rejoice in the Lord!
Love in Christ to all my obedient holy sisters!
...from another sister striving on
Find the gospel explained here.
